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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098611">From A Grateful Galaxy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorToBeNamedLater/pseuds/AuthorToBeNamedLater'>AuthorToBeNamedLater</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Feels, Fluff, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:34:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>681</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098611</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorToBeNamedLater/pseuds/AuthorToBeNamedLater</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it!" - George Elliston</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>From A Grateful Galaxy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first fic in a looooooong time. Let's not even go into how much laundry went undone so I could write this during my kid's naps.</p><p>After Season 7 I just wanted some happy Rex feels.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In a tiny sandwich shop tucked away on one of Coruscant's side streets, a man stood leaning against a wall. Everything about his posture--the bowed head, hunched shoulders, crossed arms, expressionless face--proclaimed loud and clear to anyone who saw him: <em>Fek off</em>.</p><p>This was of course by design. Captain Rex may have been fearless on the battlefield, but he'd sooner face an entire Separatist division unarmed than venture into Coruscant's cityscape. Having the most recognizable face in the galaxy came with its fair share of scrutiny and after two years Rex had tired of it. </p><p><br/>
At least he could shoot clankers. It was frowned upon to dispatch civilians harassing him on the street.</p><p><br/>
<em>Wear my armor for a day</em>, the soldier thought. <em>Wear it for an hour, then come and talk to me about the war.</em></p><p><br/>
Today though, Rex just hadn't been able to face the rations at the barracks again. So he'd steeled his nerves and gone to the shop around the corner. Thus far nobody had called him out, and for the 501st Legion's captain that was just fine.</p><p><br/>
"Order for Rex!"</p><p><br/>
Rex snapped his head up and saw the cashier behind the counter holding up a brown bag. He shoved off the wall and stepped to the counter. "Thank you," he said perfunctorily as he reached for his wallet.</p><p><br/>
"Oh," the cashier, a dark-haired human girl, looked somewhat embarrassed.</p><p><br/>
Rex felt a mixture of annoyance and defensiveness clawing at his chest. "Yes?" He said, maybe a little too shortly.</p><p><br/>
"Um, this is a little strange," the girl said with a nervous laugh. She couldn't have been Commander Tano's age. Rex felt a jolt of indignation as he thought that this was the sort of thing teenage girls should be doing. Not fighting wars. "But your order's already paid for."</p><p><br/>
Rex dropped his hand to his side. "What?"</p><p> <br/>
"A gentleman who came in after you," the girl almost looked apologetic. "He said your meal was on him."</p><p><br/>
Rex looked around the establishment, suddenly no longer caring if anyone noticed him. "Is he still here? Where is he?"</p><p><br/>
The girl shook her head. "No, sir. He left. He said he didn't want you to know who paid your tab, just that he was a thankful citizen."</p><p><br/>
"I didn't think there were any left," Rex said before he could think better of it.</p><p><br/>
The girl smiled warmly. "Oh, there are more of us than you think."</p><p><br/>
<em>Us.</em> Rex stared at the young woman in front of him.</p><p><br/>
"Sir?" The girl asked. "Are you all right?"</p><p><br/>
Rex shook his head. "Right. Yes. Uh, thank you." He took the bag.</p><p><br/>
"You're welcome." The girl turned to the line. "Next customer!"</p><p><br/>
Rex took a few steps toward the door and peered inside the bag. He turned back to the counter. "Miss?"</p><p><br/>
"Yes, sir?" The girl looked up from the order she was writing.</p><p><br/>
<em>"Sir." She's got better protocol than half of Torrent,</em> Rex thought wryly. "I didn't order the cookie."</p><p> <br/>
The girl's eyebrows raised innocently. "You didn't?"</p><p><br/>
Rex shook his head. "No."</p><p><br/>
The girl seemed to think for a second, then shrugged her shoulders. "Hm." She turned back to her work.</p><p><br/>
Rex continued to watch her for a few moments, then realizing he must look patently ridiculous, dazedly made his way to the bench outside the shop and sat down. He looked at the bag once more and saw a message written on the side.</p><p><br/>
He read it once, read it again, then carefully tore the inscription from the bag and put it in his pocket.</p><p><br/>
Rex bowed his head, unable to stop the emotion swelling in his throat. Any passers-by who noticed a clone trooper crying silent tears of gratitude had the decency not to disturb him.<br/>
.<br/>
.<br/>
.<br/>
Decades later, when General Rex died a hero of the New Republic army, his officers found among his personal effects a rumpled, faded piece of brown paper. In every battle from the Clone Wars to Endor he had carried the simple message under his blacks, right next to his heart.</p><p><br/>
<em>
    <strong>From a grateful galaxy.</strong>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>When I was growing up my dad would often make a point to secretly pay the tab of any serviceman he saw in uniform at a restaurant. That provided the inspiration for this story.</p><p>I’ve long had a theory that Rex dies a salty old beloved war hero in the New Republic military. Because he’s Rex and darn it that’s what he deserves.</p><p>Please forgive the more-than-double spacing between lines. It may not bother some people, but it does bother me, and I'm not sure why I couldn't get down to just double spacing. I'm going to try to fix it in the future. Probably while procrastinating on laundry during Tiny Human's naps.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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